Three hikers die in Utah parks as temperatures reach triple digits – NBC Los Angeles

Three hikers died in Utah’s state and national parks over the weekend, presumably due to the heat. Among them was a father and daughter who became lost during a strenuous hike in Canyonlands National Park in triple-digit temperatures.

The 23-year-old daughter and her 52-year-old father sent a text message to emergency dispatch informing them they were lost and had run out of water while hiking the 8-mile Syncline Loop. The Syncline Loop is described by the National Park Service as the most challenging trail in the Island in the Sky district of the southeastern Utah park. The pair set out on Friday, navigating steep switchbacks and scrambling over scree fields with few trail markers as air temperatures soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Park rangers and a Bureau of Land Management helicopter crew began searching for the missing hikers early Friday evening but found them dead. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office identified them Monday as Albino Herrera Espinoza and his daughter Beatriz Herrera of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Because of the rugged terrain, safety officials flew the bodies out of the park by helicopter Saturday morning and to the state medical examiner’s office, according to the sheriff’s office. The local sheriff and the National Park Service are investigating whether their deaths were caused by heat.

Later Saturday, emergency responders in southwest Utah responded to a 911 call that two hikers were suffering from “a heat-related incident” in Snow Canyon State Park, known for its lava tubes, sand dunes and a canyon made of red and white Navajo sandstone.

A multi-agency search team found and treated two hikers suffering from heat exhaustion. While they were treating the two people, a passing hiker alerted them to an unconscious person nearby. Rescuers found the 30-year-old woman dead, public safety officials said.

The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department is investigating her death. Her name has not been released publicly.

During the hottest months of the year, tourists flock to national parks in Utah and other southwestern states, even though authorities warn that hiking in extreme heat poses serious health risks. Earlier this month, a Texas man died while hiking in Grand Canyon National Park, where temperatures in the summer can reach over 130 degrees Fahrenheit (59 degrees Celsius) on exposed sections of the trail.

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